Dutch shipowner JR Shipping Group is expanding its fleet with diesel-electric newbuildings in India, marking a return to the dry sector.
It said it has ordered two 8,500-dwt eco shortsea dry cargo vessels at Chowgule Shipbuilding.
has revealed a massive domestic merchant shipping programme to add more than 1,600 vessels to its fleet by 2036.
The government has earmarked RUB 500bn ($6.2bn) over the next six years alone for the scheme, according to first deputy prime minister Denis Manturov.
The Interfax news agency quoted him as saying the move is part of an update strategy for the country’s shipyards.
“In the strategy’s baseline scenario, by 2036 more than 1,600 civilian ships and [items of] marine equipment are expected to be built at Russian shipyards,” Manturov said at a meeting between Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and deputy prime ministers on Monday.
Moscow, under huge international sanctions pressure because of its war in Ukraine, wants to be more self-sufficient in its shipping operations.
The newbuilding programme will include ships intended to run along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) through the Arctic, and along the North-South transport corridor.
Manturov said emphasis is being placed on developing competence in large-capacity projects, including building tankers, LNG carriers, container ships and bulkers.
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